Abel v. Gulf Refining Co.

138 So. 708
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 14, 1932
DocketNo. 4163
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 138 So. 708 (Abel v. Gulf Refining Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abel v. Gulf Refining Co., 138 So. 708 (La. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

TALIAFERRO, J.

Plaintiffs, J. C. Abel, Jr., and his wife, Margaret Flood Abel, bring this suit to recover damages done to their automobile, and for personal injuries sustained by Mrs. Abel, as a result of a collision between plaintiffs’ Ford sedan and defendant’s large truck or tank wagon, which occurred at intersection of Olive street and Rogers alley, in city of Shreveport, La., on April 11, 1930, between 3 and 4 o’clock, p. m.

Plaintiffs allege that their automobile, at time of collision, was being operated by Mrs. Abel at a lawful rate of speed, going west on Olive street, and that defendant’s truck was going east on same street; that as the car and truck “met and were in the act of passing, the truck, without any warning or signal, negligently and unlawfully, made a very sharp, abrupt, sudden turn to the left, at same time greatly increasing in speed, causing same to run directly and violently into petitioners’ car, striking same on left side”; that the sedan was on its extreme right-hand side of the street, parallel to and almost against thé curbing; that the movement of the truck was so sudden that the accident could not have been avoided by Mrs. Abel; that defendant’s employee, operating said truck or tank wagon, failed to keep a proper lookout and drove the truck at a speed in excess of that authorized by law.

It is alleged by plaintiffs that serious and permanent injuries to Mrs. Abel were caused by the impact of the two vehicles.

Defendant admits the collision between its truck and plaintiffs’ ear, but denies that it was caused by the negligence of the truck’s operator, defendant’s employee; that the accident was caused entirely by the fault, negligence, and want of skill of Mrs. Abel in this, to wit: That she was driving her car at time of accident and immediately prior thereto at a rapid and reckless rate of speed, without keeping a proper lookout as to traffic moving ahead of her and towards her on Olive street; that respondent’s truck was a large and cumbersome one and could have easily been seen for a distance of five hundred feet by Mrs. Abel, and if not seen by her it was her fault; that it was impossible for the truck to have-been turned suddenly into Rogers street, as alleged by plaintiffs; that she could have avoided running her car into the truck had she applied her brakes, slowed down, and driven toiler left, around and to the rear of the truck; that the truck at the time and immediately prior to the collision was being driven in a careful and lawful manner, and before the operator turned it into Rogers street he held out his hand and slowed down in order to make the turn, and had Mrs. Abel kept a proper lookout and had her car under control, as she should have done, she could and would have prevented the accident; and in her failing to do so she was grossly negligent and careless and therefore not entitled to recover for the damages and injuries to her on that account.

Defendant further avers that, if said collision was caused to any extent by the. negligence of its employee, which is denied, the negligence of Mrs. Abel contributed thereto, and her contributory negligence is pleaded in bar of her right to recover; and, in any event, she had the last clear chance to avoid the accident and failed to do so.

The-demands of plaintiffs were rejected, and they have appealed.

We have studied the evidence in this ease carefully and have reached the same conclusion as did the lower court on the questions of negligence on the part of Mrs. Abel and defendant’s driver.

The truck was moving up grade on Olive street at a slow rate of speed and made a gradual left turn into Rogers street for the purpose of delivering kerosene to a customer whose place of business fronted on that street and extended up Rogers street. The truck’s front end had entered Rogers street a few feet and had stopped, or was practically stopped, when the Abel ear ran into it, striking the right front wheel on the side, and the bumper. The driver of the truck testified that he brought the truck to a stop after realizing plaintiffs’ car was going to run into it, preferring to have the truck struck towards the front end rather than towards its rear, on which was located the gas or kerosene tank.

Mrs. Abel admitted that she observed the truck at least half a block distant and sounded her horn. We are inclined to believe that she did this because^of the truck’s movement in preparing to enter Rogers street. The fact of her approaching the moving truck should not have provoked her to blow her horn. She admits she did not deviate from her line of [710]*710travel, did not slow down, nor apply the brakes, but ran the car headlong into the truck. Her negligence was the proximate causé of the accident, we are convinced beyond any doubt.

The reasons of the learned judge of the lower court for rejecting plaintiffs’, demands are in the record. These reasons so clearly and correctly analyze and resolve the evidence touching the negligence invoked by both sides, we have decided to adopt them for our own and base judgment thereon. They are as follows:

“The present suit grows out of a collision between a Ford sedan driven west on Olive street, and a truck owned by the defendant and being driven east on Olive street. The truck was making a left-hand turn into Rodgers street at the time of the accident. Rodgers street is a narrow unpaved street entering Olive street at right angles, but does not cross that street. The paved portion of Olive street is about twenty-eight feet wide and Rodgers street is about eighteen, feet from curb to curb.

“Mrs. Abel was alone in her car and was driving on her extreme right side, there being no dispute about this, and it was downgrade the way she was going. The truck was going upgrade, traveling either near the center or on its right side before attempting to make the turn, and it is only a short distance from there to Fairfield avenue, which is a stop street. The truck is equipped with a governor which does not permit it to make, at best, more than eighteen miles per hour. It weighs, loaded (as it was that day), about 12,-000 pounds, while a Ford is a light car, at least comparatively speaking. The truck is a large cumbersome affair, which, according to the testimony of the driver, cannot be suddenly or quickly turned. There is no testimony showing the contrary, and from the nature of the vehicle this must be true.

“The situation of the truck after the accident, as shown by the pictures in evi-dene'e, and the testimony in regard to same, shows plainly, to our mind, that it' did not make a sudden, quick turn into Rodgers street. The angle shown in the pictures and the testimony shows this. The -testimony of the driver is to the effect that he was not making over eight miles per hour while he was attempting this turn, and we can readily believe that tó be true. He says that he had stopped entirely when the impact occurred, but we do not think this very important, for the fact remains that he was not stopped by the impact, but by the application of the brakes. The situation of the cars after the accident shoWs this. The driver of the truck testified that be held his hand out as a signal for a left turn; Mrs. Abel says she did not see this, but We do not think this is important. There is one way in which the driver of the truck was. plainly negligent; he cut the corner or did not go beyond the center of the street intersection before making his left turn. He says that it was practically impossible for him to do that on account of the vehicle he was driving.

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Related

Emmco Insurance v. California Co.
101 So. 2d 628 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1958)
Greenfield v. Bruskas
68 P.2d 921 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1937)
Abel v. Gulf Refining Co.
143 So. 82 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1932)

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Bluebook (online)
138 So. 708, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abel-v-gulf-refining-co-lactapp-1932.